Mumbai

The Baghdadi Jews

Language: Arabic, Religion: Judaism, Estimated population: ?.

The Baghdadi Jews migrated to British India around the end of the 18th
century for purposes of trade, and settled mainly in the port cities of
Bombay,
Calcutta and Rangoon.
They retained their language, Arabic, and a seperate cultural identity. Mostly
traders and financiers, their contribution to the industrial growth of
Bombay is well documented.
David Sassoon, a member of this community was a well-known philathropist.
After independence there was a continuous migration of the Baghdadi Jews
to Israel. At present the community is almost extinct in India.